Petition created against Reform-led Nottinghamshire County Council plans to spend £75,000 of public money on new Union flags

A petition has been created to stop a council spending £75,000 of taxpayers’ money on installing flags across the county.

Last week, the Reform-led Nottinghamshire County Council announced the plans to put up 162 new Union flags and pairs at 82 locations — including Newark — in the coming months.

Created by ‘Disgusted of Nottingham’, the petition calls on Nottinghamshire County Council not to install the flags, claiming the decision ‘does not represent the majority’.

More than 4,000 people have so far signed the petition, which can be found at https://shorturl.at/Ta6p4.

The petition creator says they are ‘shocked’ at the council’s decision and said it feels ‘like a divisive gesture that does not reflect the inclusive community spirit in Nottinghamshire’.

The petition reads: “This allocation of funds, which belong to all taxpayers, is concerning, especially when many local services are underfunded and require immediate attention.

“£75,000 could be better spent addressing urgent community needs such as improving education, healthcare, and public safety services.

“The proposed flag installation is not only financially burdensome but also symbolically divisive.

“At a time when we should strive for unity, erecting partisan symbols only serves to deepen divisions among residents.”

The £75,000 cost is an estimated figure, with each 2mx0.8m flag costing £100 each - a total of £16,400.

The bill included £200 each on reusable brackets (£32,800 in total), about £50 per location to put the flags up and sort traffic management (£8,200) and a similar cost to eventually take them down.

That adds up to about £65,600 — with about £10,000 factored in for maintenance.

Opposition councillors, such as Sam Smith, the Conservative leader of the opposition, supported seeing the Union flag flying on lamp-posts; however, he said it wasn’t appropriate to spend taxpayers’ money to do so.

He added: “Leave the residents to do it [fly the flags], they’re doing a fantastic job and they look brilliant. Let’s prioritise spending taxpayers’ money on prioritising what council services should be delivered.”